{"id":50456,"date":"2023-02-27T09:40:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T09:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/post\/the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky-explained-islay\/"},"modified":"2023-03-01T10:45:11","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T10:45:11","slug":"the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky-explained-islay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky-explained-islay\/","title":{"rendered":"The five regions of Scotch whisky explained: Islay"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>We\u2019re taking you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/region-style\/islay\/single-malt-whisky\/\">Islay<\/a> today to learn about the island that creates arguably Scotland\u2019s most distinctive whisky and remind you how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/see-the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky.aspx\">win a trip there<\/a>!<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the next week we\u2019re getting into our Master of Malt branded eight seater aircraft and taking a trip around the five <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whisky\/\">whisky<\/a> regions of Scotland. We looked at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky-explained-the-highlands.aspx\">Highlands<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky-explained-speyside.aspx\">Speyside<\/a> last week and now it\u2019s the turn of the small island that\u2019s home to nine, or is it 12?, distilleries. It\u2019s hard to keep up. Buckle up, make sure your seat is in the upright position, and prepare for a bumpy landing, because we\u2019re off to Islay. And you could be too if you enter our new competition.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_50326\" style=\"width: 780px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50326\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-1024x711.jpg\" alt=\"Map of Scotch-Whisky\" width=\"770\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-1024x711.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-360x250.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-1008x700.jpg 1008w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition-1200x833.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Competition.jpg 1296w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-50326\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The regions of Scotland await<\/p><\/div>\n<h5><b>The Jewel of the Hebrides<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Islay sits just off the west coast of Scotland at roughly the same latitude as Glasgow. Known as the Jewel of the Hebrides, it\u2019s the most southerly of the Inner Hebrides system of islands. It\u2019s only 25 miles from end-to-end but it\u2019s a whisky powerhouse home to nine working distilleries with three more in the pipeline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illicit distilling had probably been going on on the island for centuries but the first licenced distillery on the island was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/bowmore-whisky-distillery\/\">Bowmore<\/a> in 1779 which was founded by John Simson. It was followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/ardbeg-whisky-distillery\/\">Ardbeg<\/a>, which began distilling commercially in 1815, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/laphroaig-whisky-distillery\/\">Laphroaig<\/a> in the same year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/lagavulin-whisky-distillery\/\">Lagavulin<\/a> in 1816, and many others. In the 19th century Bowmore was sold and marketed as a single malt outside Scotland but by the mid century most distilleries were providing whisky for west of Scotland blenders like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/johnnie-walker-whisky\/\">John Walker<\/a> of Kilmarnock.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_45096\" style=\"width: 780px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45096\" class=\"size-large wp-image-45096\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Islay-1024x586.jpg\" alt=\"Five regions of Scotland\" width=\"770\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Islay-1024x586.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Islay-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Islay-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Islay.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-45096\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">There are some great harbours on Islay<\/p><\/div>\n<h5><b>For peat\u2019s sake<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The island\u2019s geography with natural harbours like that at Port Ellen made it well-connected by boat with the rapidly expanding towns of the West of Scotland notably Glasgow. But what made Islay particularly famous was peat. The island is full of this natural source of fuel so it would have been used to dry the barley during the malting process imparting a smoky smell. Furthermore Islay peat was different, made up of seaweed, giving the whisky a distinctive medicinal character that was much prized.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the early days of whisky most Scottish and indeed Irish distilleries would have used peat but as transport improved most switched to anthracite &#8211; smokeless coal. But with a couple of exceptions, they didn\u2019t on Islay, partly because of the abundance of local peat, but also because the island\u2019s heavy smoky whisky was much in demand by blenders. You can still taste that West Coast style blend in Johnnie Walker Red and Black label with their characteristic smoky cut, so different to the sweeter Perth blends like Bell\u2019s or Famous Grouse.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Hard times<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Islay fell on hard times in the 1970s and \u201880s when oversupply combined with changing tastes away from smokier whiskies led to many distilleries like Port Ellen being closed permanently. Others such as Ardbeg and Bruichladdich were just a whisker away from sharing a similar fate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But in the late 1980s and \u201890s, drinkers discovered and fell in love with Islay in the form of single malts. People began to appreciate the distinctive flavours and Islay slowly became a mecca for whisky lovers saving distilleries that would have been closed down. The very first Islay festival, Feis Ile, was held in 1986. Meanwhile the whisky from the now-shut Port Ellen, once just used in blends, became highly-prized with values soaring as its rarity and reputation grew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0In 2005 the Wills family founded Kilchoman, the first new distillery on the island for 124 years. It was followed by the Laing family\u2019s Ardnahoe which began distilling in 2019 and now there are a further four in the pipeline. The great Port Ellen will soon once again be producing whisky for the first time since 1983.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-50459\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Whisky regions of Scotland\" width=\"770\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay-1050x700.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Scotch-Whisky-2023-Islay.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p>\n<h5><b>Tasting Islay whisky<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though the island is famed for its smoky drams, there\u2019s no one Islay style with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/bruichladdich-whisky-distillery\/\">Bruichladdich<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/distilleries\/bunnahabhain-whisky-distillery\/\">Bunnahabhain<\/a> both making unpeated whiskies. As usual, the best place to explore a whisky region is in the glass. Here are three to try (click on links for prices and to try):<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whiskies\/bunnahabhain-12-year-old-whisky\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; A great favourite among Master of Malt customers, this classic bottling with its sweet, fruity flavours shows how you don\u2019t need peat to be an Islay whisky.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whiskies\/lagavulin\/lagavulin-16-year-old-whisky\/\">Lagavulin 16 Year Old<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Another classic single malt, this aged expression from Lagavulin shows how brilliantly peaty flavours can meld with sherry casks to give you a whisky that\u2019s sweet and smoky.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whiskies\/seaweed-and-aeons-and-digging-and-fire\/seaweed-and-aeons-and-digging-and-fire-10-year-old-whisky\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seaweed &amp; Aeons &amp; Digging &amp; Fire 10 Year Old<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Mystery Islay whisky alert! We\u2019re not allowed to tell you which distillery this comes from but what we can say is that it packs a awful lot of coastal, peaty goodness for the money. Another firm favourite with MoM customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Buy a bottle of <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whiskies\/lagavulin\/lagavulin-16-year-old-whisky\/\"><b>Lagavulin 16 Year Old<\/b><\/a><b>, <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whiskies\/lagavulin\/lagavulin-8-year-old-whisky\/\"><b>Lagavulin 8 Year Old<\/b><\/a><b>, or <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/whiskies\/lagavulin\/lagavulin-distillers-edition-2022-collection-whisky\/\"><b>Lagavulin Distillers Edition \u2013 2022 Collection<\/b><\/a><b> and you could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/see-the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky.aspx\">win a trip to Islay<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re taking you to Islay today to learn about the island that creates arguably Scotland\u2019s most distinctive whisky and remind you how to win a trip there! Over the next&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":50458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[896],"tags":[71],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The five regions of Scotch whisky explained: Islay | Master of Malt blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019re taking you to Islay today to learn about the island that creates arguably Scotland\u2019s most distinctive whisky and remind you how to win a trip there!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/the-five-regions-of-scotch-whisky-explained-islay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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